Galva-Williamsfield co-op ends

Wednesday

Jul 16, 2014 at 8:36 PM

Williamsfield leaves one Lincoln Trail Conference partner for another

Mike Landis

Just months after winning regional baseball and softball championships, Williamsfield has pulled the plug on its spring sports co-op with Galva.The Williamsfield board of education voted unanimously Monday night to join forces with another Lincoln Trail Conference school — ROWVA. The ROWVA-Williamsfield arrangement starts with baseball and softball in 2014-15, and boys basketball and cheerleading in 2015-16. ROWVA has already agreed to join Williamsfield in baseball and softball, and boys basketball and cheerleading will be on the ROWVA board meeting agenda next week.Monday’s vote resulted in the end of baseball and softball co-ops that served Galva and Williamsfield well the past five years. When Williamsfield was low on baseball numbers in 2010 and in danger of not fielding a team, Galva agreed to give the Bombers a place to play.The G-W baseball team won regional titles in 2013 and 2014, and a sectional championship in 2013 — firsts for both schools in baseball. The G-W softball team won the Class 1A Abingdon Regional in 2014 — also firsts for both schools.But not even that success could keep G-W together.“Many players and families made close bonds with their Williamsfield teammates,” said Galva superintendent Doug O’Riley. “I am certain the partnership will be missed by most players previously involved.”Galva, Williamsfield and ROWVA remain together for football (the Mid-County co-op), but it was ROWVA’s board of education that voted unanimously in May against extending the Mid-County co-op into spring sports and opting to pursue only Williamsfield for baseball and softball.“We are extremely grateful for everything the folks of Galva have done for us and we look forward to working together in football and expanding the Mid-County co-op to other sports when the time is right,” said Williamsfield superintendent/principal Tim Farquer. “In the meantime, we will continue to root for the Galva Wildcats and hope for both of us to experience continued success.”So what led to the demise of a co-op that was enjoying success on the diamond?When Farquer was hired at Williamsfield last July, he said one of his first tasks was to work with his board to establish a process that would facilitate longterm co-op agreements. Williamsfield entered the 2013-14 season in the last year of football, baseball and softball co-ops.“The board and I worked together to establish clear criteria we sought in a productive co-op and I reached out to neighboring schools, beginning with Galva,” said Farquer.Farquer said two schools — Knoxville and ROWVA — sought similar co-op criteria as Williamsfield, while Galva agreed on all fronts except cost sharing.“Williamsfield first contacted our district in the fall with a list of desires in a co-op partner,” said O’Riley. “The point of contention was a foundation level cost. Williamsfield desired a per player proration of costs and no preliminary costs. Galva insisted upon keeping a base level of financial support, in other words, a preliminary assumption of expenses just to offer a sport. From Galva's perspective, Galva assumed the risk of paying for a program, and if zero or few Williamsfield players participated, Williamsfield would have had no or little financial commitment. Since districts contract with coaches and enter scheduling agreements months in advance, this arrangement did not seem fair to our board.” Galva has experienced co-ops with Williamsfield where zero or few Billtown students participated.O’Riley said the two schools joined together for girls basketball three years ago. The G-W team played LTC and Inter County Athletic Conference (Williamsfield’s conference) schedules, and traveled to Illini Bluffs and North Fulton to fulfill Williamsfield’s conference requirements. However, Williamsfield did not have any girls in the co-op, leaving Galva with full financial and program support responsibility. Also two years ago, the G-W track co-op had no Williamsfield boys and one girl.“Moving forward at that time, our board asked for a 50 percent partnership to ensure financial responsibility and corresponding other supports,” said O’Riley. “Williamsfield rejected any preset percentage of obligation and pursued other avenues, which led them to ROWVA.” Farquer said in December, Williamsfield’s board voted to seek co-op arrangements with ROWVA in baseball and softball. O’Riley said in hopes of maintaining the co-op with Williamsfield, Galva withdrew its 50 percent expectation regarding costs and offered Williamfield a very similar contract as ROWVA.“Galva approved and signed identical agreements for baseball and softball (by a vote of 4-3) and were willing to have the same conversation regarding boys basketball and cheerleading,” said Farquer. “The decision was tough.”“Monday's vote was just a reaffirmation of that commitment,” added Farquer of the new ROWVA-Williamsfield agreement. “Technically it was a vote that wasn't necessary but nonetheless I felt it was the right thing to do. With the success we had this spring and the evolution of Galva's thoughts with regards to cost sharing, I thought it best to reaffirm our original stance.”So while Williamsfield dances with a new partner, Galva will fly solo in baseball and softball for the 2014-15 season.“Galva really has little choice but to field its own baseball and softball teams,” said O’Riley. “Numbers of upperclassmen may be an issue, and resuming dual participation with Galva track athletes may be a partial solution.”The ROWVA-Williamsfield co-op is subject to a vote of the Lincoln Trail Conference principals, who meet Aug. 19 in Galesburg. The co-op needs a 3/4 majority vote to pass.

Mid-County football renewed for two years; Farquer doesn’t rule out Mid-County baseball, softball co-opEven with the co-op shuffling between Galva, ROWVA and Williamsfield in spring and winter sports, the three schools remain together in football.The Mid-County football co-op recently entered a new two-year contract.“Galva remains committed to being Mid-County Cougars,” said Galva superintendent Doug O’Riley of the football co-op.Even with the recent opposing vote by the ROWVA board of education, Williamsfield superintendent/principal Tim Farquer said he could see the Mid-County co-op expanding into other sports — namely baseball and softball — in the future.“We remain strongly committed to the health and well being of the Mid-County co-op,” said Farquer. “In addition we remain committed to its natural expansion.”Farquer is a former baseball coach in the Brimfield-Elmwood co-op, and is “convinced” a Mid-County co-op in baseball and softball will provide more opportunities for the Galva, ROWVA and Williamsfield spring athletes.“Combining our three schools will give us the numbers to run separate JV schedules so our freshman and sophomore players will not only get more innings and more at-bats, it will allow them to do so against players their same age,” said Farquer. “It kills me to watch our fresh-soph kids lose excitement for the game as they either sit and watch or become overwhelmed by the pace of a varsity game.”While at Brimfield-Elmwood, Farquer said 45-50 boys played baseball every spring.“We were able to run three separate schedules providing opportunities for success for kids with a wide range of ability levels,” said Farquer. “That's the type of experience I would like our kids to have. But in order for that to happen, it has to happen naturally. Eventually I believe the communities of our three school districts will see the value in a Mid-County baseball/softball co-op and the increased opportunities it will afford the kids at all our schools. I remain excited for that day and will continue to do everything I can to help facilitate the process.”Galva and ROWVA remain co-op partners in golf and cross country in the fall.